Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, whose tongue could often be a blunt instrument, was surprisingly gracious to the man who brought his 50-year political career to an end in Tuesday?s primary, Del. Peter Franchot of Montgomery County.

“The best man won,” Schaefer told reporters at an Annapolis news conference Wednesday. “If you?re not the best man, you don?t win. It?s a tough one to lose. The race was tough. I didn?t think I was going to lose.”